User equipment (UE), evolved node-b (eNB) and methods for dynamic hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ)

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of a User Equipment (UE), Evolved Node-B (eNB) and methods for communication are generally described herein. The UE may receive downlink control information (DCI) that schedules a transport block (TB) that includes multiple code blocks. The UE may determine a transport block size (TBS) based on the DCI. The UE may attempt to decode the code blocks. The UE may, if the TBS is greater than a predetermined threshold: bundle the code blocks into code block groups for hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgement; and transmit a HARQ bit per code block group. The UE may, if the TBS is less than or equal to the threshold, transmit a HARQ bit that indicates whether a decode failure has occurred for at least one of the code blocks of the TB.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/322,068, filed Jan. 30, 2019, which is a U.S. National Stage Filingunder 35 U.S.C. 371 from International Application No.PCT/US2017/049313, filed Aug. 30, 2017 and published in English as WO2018/071104 on Apr. 19, 2018, which claims the benefit of priority toU.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/406,206, filed Oct. 10,2016, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments pertain to wireless communications. Some embodiments relateto wireless networks including 3GPP (Third Generation PartnershipProject) networks, 3GPP LTE (Long Term Evolution) networks, and 3GPPLTE-A (LTE Advanced) networks. Some embodiments relate to FifthGeneration (5G) networks. Some embodiments relate to New Radio (NR)networks. Some embodiments relate to hybrid automatic repeat request(HARQ) operation.

BACKGROUND

Base stations and mobile devices operating in a cellular network mayexchange data. In some cases, techniques such as hybrid automatic repeatrequest (HARQ) may be used to enable reliable transmission of packets.For instance, a mobile device may send one or more acknowledgement (ACK)bits to the base station to acknowledge downlink physical layer (PHY)elements transmitted by the base station. Such PHY elements may includeblocks, bursts, packets and/or other. In an example scenario, thecellular network may operate in accordance with a Fifth Generation (5G)protocol and/or new radio (NR) protocol. The data rates for suchprotocols may be significantly higher than those used in other cellularsystems, in some cases. As a result of the increased data rates,operations such as HARQ may be challenging. Accordingly, there is ageneral need for methods and systems for performing HARQ and otheroperations in this scenario and others.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a functional diagram of an example network in accordance withsome embodiments;

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an example machine in accordancewith some embodiments;

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of an Evolved Node-B (eNB) inaccordance with some embodiments and a block diagram of a GenerationNode-B (gNB) in accordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of a User Equipment (UE) inaccordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 5 illustrates the operation of a method of communication inaccordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 6 illustrates the operation of another method of communication inaccordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ)in accordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 8 illustrates another example of HARQ in accordance with someembodiments;

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of puncturing in accordance with someembodiments;

FIG. 10 illustrates an example radio frame structure in accordance withsome embodiments;

FIGS. 11A-B illustrates example frequency resources in accordance withsome embodiments;

FIG. 12 illustrates an example of entities exchanging radio resourcecontrol (RRC) elements in accordance with some embodiments; and

FIG. 13 illustrates an example entity that may be used to implementmedium access control (MAC) layer functions in accordance with someembodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description and the drawings sufficiently illustratespecific embodiments to enable those skilled in the art to practicethem. Other embodiments may incorporate structural, logical, electrical,process, and other changes. Portions and features of some embodimentsmay be included in, or substituted for, those of other embodiments.Embodiments set forth in the claims encompass all available equivalentsof those claims.

FIG. 1 is a functional diagram of an example network in accordance withsome embodiments. In some embodiments, the network 100 may be a ThirdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) network. It should be noted thatembodiments are not limited to usage of 3GPP networks, however, as othernetworks may be used in some embodiments. As an example, a FifthGeneration (5G) network may be used in some cases. As another example, aNew Radio (NR) network may be used in some cases. As another example, awireless local area network (WLAN) may be used in some cases.Embodiments are not limited to these example networks, however, as othernetworks may be used in some embodiments. In some embodiments, a networkmay include one or more components shown in FIG. 1. Some embodiments maynot necessarily include all components shown in FIG. 1, and someembodiments may include additional components not shown in FIG. 1.

The network 100 may comprise a radio access network (RAN) 101 and thecore network 120 (e.g., shown as an evolved packet core (EPC)) coupledtogether through an S1 interface 115. For convenience and brevity sake,only a portion of the core network 120, as well as the RAN 101, isshown. In a non-limiting example, the RAN 101 may be an evolveduniversal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN). In anothernon-limiting example, the RAN 101 may include one or more components ofa New Radio (NR) network. In another non-limiting example, the RAN 101may include one or more components of an E-UTRAN and one or morecomponents of another network (including but not limited to an NRnetwork).

The core network 120 may include a mobility management entity (MME) 122,a serving gateway (serving GW) 124, and packet data network gateway (PDNGW) 126. In some embodiments, the network 100 may include (and/orsupport) one or more Evolved Node-B's (eNBs) 104 (which may operate asbase stations) for communicating with User Equipment (UE) 102. The eNBs104 may include macro eNBs and low power (LP) eNBs, in some embodiments.

In some embodiments, the network 100 may include (and/or support) one ormore Generation Node-B's (gNBs) 105. In some embodiments, one or moreeNBs 104 may be configured to operate as gNBs 105. Embodiments are notlimited to the number of eNBs 104 shown in FIG. 1 or to the number ofgNBs 105 shown in FIG. 1. In some embodiments, the network 100 may notnecessarily include eNBs 104. Embodiments are also not limited to theconnectivity of components shown in FIG. 1.

It should be noted that references herein to an eNB 104 or to a gNB 105are not limiting. In some embodiments, one or more operations, methodsand/or techniques (such as those described herein) may be practiced by abase station component (and/or other component), including but notlimited to a gNB 105, an eNB 104, a serving cell, a transmit receivepoint (TRP) and/or other. In some embodiments, the base stationcomponent may be configured to operate in accordance with a New Radio(NR) protocol and/or NR standard, although the scope of embodiments isnot limited in this respect. In some embodiments, the base stationcomponent may be configured to operate in accordance with a FifthGeneration (5G) protocol and/or 5G standard, although the scope ofembodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, one or more of the UEs 102 and/or eNBs 104 may beconfigured to operate in accordance with an NR protocol and/or NRtechniques. References to a UE 102, eNB 104 and/or gNB 105 as part ofdescriptions herein are not limiting. For instance, descriptions of oneor more operations, techniques and/or methods practiced by an eNB 104are not limiting. In some embodiments, one or more of those operations,techniques and/or methods may be practiced by a gNB 105 and/or otherbase station component.

In some embodiments, the UE 102 may transmit signals (data, controland/or other) to the gNB 105, and may receive signals (data, controland/or other) from the gNB 105. In some embodiments, the UE 102 maytransmit signals (data, control and/or other) to the eNB 104, and mayreceive signals (data, control and/or other) from the eNB 104. Theseembodiments will be described in more detail below.

The MME 122 is similar in function to the control plane of legacyServing GPRS Support Nodes (SGSN). The MME 122 manages mobility aspectsin access such as gateway selection and tracking area list management.The serving GW 124 terminates the interface toward the RAN 101, androutes data packets between the RAN 101 and the core network 120. Inaddition, it may be a local mobility anchor point for inter-eNBhandovers and also may provide an anchor for inter-3GPP mobility. Otherresponsibilities may include lawful intercept, charging, and some policyenforcement. The serving GW 124 and the MME 122 may be implemented inone physical node or separate physical nodes. The PDN GW 126 terminatesan SGi interface toward the packet data network (PDN). The PDN GW 126routes data packets between the EPC 120 and the external PDN, and may bea key node for policy enforcement and charging data collection. It mayalso provide an anchor point for mobility with non-LTE accesses. Theexternal PDN can be any kind of IP network, as well as an IP MultimediaSubsystem (IMS) domain. The PDN GW 126 and the serving GW 124 may beimplemented in one physical node or separated physical nodes.

In some embodiments, the eNBs 104 (macro and micro) terminate the airinterface protocol and may be the first point of contact for a UE 102.In some embodiments, an eNB 104 may fulfill various logical functionsfor the network 100, including but not limited to RNC (radio networkcontroller functions) such as radio bearer management, uplink anddownlink dynamic radio resource management and data packet scheduling,and mobility management.

In some embodiments, UEs 102 may be configured to communicate OrthogonalFrequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals with an eNB104 and/or gNB 105 over a multicarrier communication channel inaccordance with an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)communication technique. In some embodiments, eNBs 104 and/or gNBs 105may be configured to communicate OFDM communication signals with a UE102 over a multicarrier communication channel in accordance with anOFDMA communication technique. The OFDM signals may comprise a pluralityof orthogonal subcarriers.

The S1 interface 115 is the interface that separates the RAN 101 and theEPC 120. It may be split into two parts: the S1-U, which carries trafficdata between the eNBs 104 and the serving GW 124, and the S1-MME, whichis a signaling interface between the eNBs 104 and the MME 122. The X2interface is the interface between eNBs 104. The X2 interface comprisestwo parts, the X2-C and X2-U. The X2-C is the control plane interfacebetween the eNBs 104, while the X2-U is the user plane interface betweenthe eNBs 104.

In some embodiments, similar functionality and/or connectivity describedfor the eNB 104 may be used for the gNB 105, although the scope ofembodiments is not limited in this respect. In a non-limiting example,the S1 interface 115 (and/or similar interface) may be split into twoparts: the S1-U, which carries traffic data between the gNBs 105 and theserving GW 124, and the S1-MME, which is a signaling interface betweenthe gNBs 104 and the MME 122. The X2 interface (and/or similarinterface) may enable communication between eNBs 104, communicationbetween gNBs 105 and/or communication between an eNB 104 and a gNB 105.

With cellular networks, LP cells are typically used to extend coverageto indoor areas where outdoor signals do not reach well, or to addnetwork capacity in areas with very dense phone usage, such as trainstations. As used herein, the term low power (LP) eNB refers to anysuitable relatively low power eNB for implementing a narrower cell(narrower than a macro cell) such as a femtocell, a picocell, or a microcell. Femtocell eNBs are typically provided by a mobile network operatorto its residential or enterprise customers. A femtocell is typically thesize of a residential gateway or smaller and generally connects to theuser's broadband line. Once plugged in, the femtocell connects to themobile operator's mobile network and provides extra coverage in a rangeof typically 30 to 50 meters for residential femtocells. Thus, a LP eNBmight be a femtocell eNB since it is coupled through the PDN GW 126.Similarly, a picocell is a wireless communication system typicallycovering a small area, such as in-building (offices, shopping malls,train stations, etc.), or more recently in-aircraft. A picocell eNB cangenerally connect through the X2 link to another eNB such as a macro eNBthrough its base station controller (BSC) functionality. Thus, LP eNBmay be implemented with a picocell eNB since it is coupled to a macroeNB via an X2 interface. Picocell eNBs or other LP eNBs may incorporatesome or all functionality of a macro eNB. In some cases, this may bereferred to as an access point base station or enterprise femtocell. Insome embodiments, various types of gNBs 105 may be used, including butnot limited to one or more of the eNB types described above.

In some embodiments, a downlink resource grid may be used for downlinktransmissions from an eNB 104 to a UE 102, while uplink transmissionfrom the UE 102 to the eNB 104 may utilize similar techniques. In someembodiments, a downlink resource grid may be used for downlinktransmissions from a gNB 105 to a UE 102, while uplink transmission fromthe UE 102 to the gNB 105 may utilize similar techniques. The grid maybe a time-frequency grid, called a resource grid or time-frequencyresource grid, which is the physical resource in the downlink in eachslot. Such a time-frequency plane representation is a common practicefor OFDM systems, which makes it intuitive for radio resourceallocation. Each column and each row of the resource grid correspond toone OFDM symbol and one OFDM subcarrier, respectively. The duration ofthe resource grid in the time domain corresponds to one slot in a radioframe. The smallest time-frequency unit in a resource grid is denoted asa resource element (RE). There are several different physical downlinkchannels that are conveyed using such resource blocks. With particularrelevance to this disclosure, two of these physical downlink channelsare the physical downlink shared channel and the physical down linkcontrol channel.

As used herein, the term “circuitry” may refer to, be part of, orinclude an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electroniccircuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group), and/or memory(shared, dedicated, or group) that execute one or more software orfirmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitablehardware components that provide the described functionality. In someembodiments, the circuitry may be implemented in, or functionsassociated with the circuitry may be implemented by, one or moresoftware or firmware modules. In some embodiments, circuitry may includelogic, at least partially operable in hardware. Embodiments describedherein may be implemented into a system using any suitably configuredhardware and/or software.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an example machine in accordancewith some embodiments. The machine 200 is an example machine upon whichany one or more of the techniques and/or methodologies discussed hereinmay be performed. In alternative embodiments, the machine 200 mayoperate as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g., networked) toother machines. In a networked deployment, the machine 200 may operatein the capacity of a server machine, a client machine, or both inserver-client network environments. In an example, the machine 200 mayact as a peer machine in peer-to-peer (P2P) (or other distributed)network environment. The machine 200 may be a UE 102, eNB 104, gNB 105,access point (AP), station (STA), mobile device, base station, personalcomputer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a personal digitalassistant (PDA), a mobile telephone, a smart phone, a web appliance, anetwork router, switch or bridge, or any machine capable of executinginstructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be takenby that machine. Further, while only a single machine is illustrated,the term “machine” shall also be taken to include any collection ofmachines that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets)of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein, such as cloud computing, software as a service (SaaS),other computer cluster configurations.

Examples as described herein, may include, or may operate on, logic or anumber of components, modules, or mechanisms. Modules are tangibleentities (e.g., hardware) capable of performing specified operations andmay be configured or arranged in a certain manner. In an example,circuits may be arranged (e.g., internally or with respect to externalentities such as other circuits) in a specified manner as a module. Inan example, the whole or part of one or more computer systems (e.g., astandalone, client or server computer system) or one or more hardwareprocessors may be configured by firmware or software (e.g.,instructions, an application portion, or an application) as a modulethat operates to perform specified operations. In an example, thesoftware may reside on a machine readable medium. In an example, thesoftware, when executed by the underlying hardware of the module, causesthe hardware to perform the specified operations.

Accordingly, the term “module” is understood to encompass a tangibleentity, be that an entity that is physically constructed, specificallyconfigured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarily (e.g., transitorily)configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a specified manner or toperform part or all of any operation described herein. Consideringexamples in which modules are temporarily configured, each of themodules need not be instantiated at any one moment in time. For example,where the modules comprise a general-purpose hardware processorconfigured using software, the general-purpose hardware processor may beconfigured as respective different modules at different times. Softwaremay accordingly configure a hardware processor, for example, toconstitute a particular module at one instance of time and to constitutea different module at a different instance of time.

The machine (e.g., computer system) 200 may include a hardware processor202 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit(GPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), a mainmemory 204 and a static memory 206, some or all of which may communicatewith each other via an interlink (e.g., bus) 208. The machine 200 mayfurther include a display unit 210, an alphanumeric input device 212(e.g., a keyboard), and a user interface (UI) navigation device 214(e.g., a mouse). In an example, the display unit 210, input device 212and UI navigation device 214 may be a touch screen display. The machine200 may additionally include a storage device (e.g., drive unit) 216, asignal generation device 218 (e.g., a speaker), a network interfacedevice 220, and one or more sensors 221, such as a global positioningsystem (GPS) sensor, compass, accelerometer, or other sensor. Themachine 200 may include an output controller 228, such as a serial(e.g., universal serial bus (USB), parallel, or other wired or wireless(e.g., infrared (IR), near field communication (NFC), etc.) connectionto communicate or control one or more peripheral devices (e.g., aprinter, card reader, etc.).

The storage device 216 may include a machine readable medium 222 onwhich is stored one or more sets of data structures or instructions 224(e.g., software) embodying or utilized by any one or more of thetechniques or functions described herein. The instructions 224 may alsoreside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 204,within static memory 206, or within the hardware processor 202 duringexecution thereof by the machine 200. In an example, one or anycombination of the hardware processor 202, the main memory 204, thestatic memory 206, or the storage device 216 may constitute machinereadable media. In some embodiments, the machine readable medium may beor may include a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.

While the machine readable medium 222 is illustrated as a single medium,the term “machine readable medium” may include a single medium ormultiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/orassociated caches and servers) configured to store the one or moreinstructions 224. The term “machine readable medium” may include anymedium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructionsfor execution by the machine 200 and that cause the machine 200 toperform any one or more of the techniques of the present disclosure, orthat is capable of storing, encoding or carrying data structures used byor associated with such instructions. Non-limiting machine readablemedium examples may include solid-state memories, and optical andmagnetic media. Specific examples of machine readable media may include:non-volatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g.,Electrically Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), ElectricallyErasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM)) and flash memorydevices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removabledisks; magneto-optical disks; Random Access Memory (RAM); and CD-ROM andDVD-ROM disks. In some examples, machine readable media may includenon-transitory machine readable media. In some examples, machinereadable media may include machine readable media that is not atransitory propagating signal.

The instructions 224 may further be transmitted or received over acommunications network 226 using a transmission medium via the networkinterface device 220 utilizing any one of a number of transfer protocols(e.g., frame relay, internet protocol (IP), transmission controlprotocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP), hypertext transferprotocol (HTTP), etc.). Example communication networks may include alocal area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a packet datanetwork (e.g., the Internet), mobile telephone networks (e.g., cellularnetworks), Plain Old Telephone (POTS) networks, and wireless datanetworks (e.g., Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)802.11 family of standards known as Wi-Fi®, IEEE 802.16 family ofstandards known as WiMax®), IEEE 802.15.4 family of standards, a LongTerm Evolution (LTE) family of standards, a Universal MobileTelecommunications System (UMTS) family of standards, peer-to-peer (P2P)networks, among others. In an example, the network interface device 220may include one or more physical jacks (e.g., Ethernet, coaxial, orphone jacks) or one or more antennas to connect to the communicationsnetwork 226. In an example, the network interface device 220 may includea plurality of antennas to wirelessly communicate using at least one ofsingle-input multiple-output (SIMO), multiple-input multiple-output(MIMO), or multiple-input single-output (MISO) techniques. In someexamples, the network interface device 220 may wirelessly communicateusing Multiple User MIMO techniques. The term “transmission medium”shall be taken to include any intangible medium that is capable ofstoring, encoding or carrying instructions for execution by the machine200, and includes digital or analog communications signals or otherintangible medium to facilitate communication of such software.

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of an Evolved Node-B (eNB) inaccordance with some embodiments and a block diagram of a GenerationNode-B (gNB) in accordance with some embodiments. It should be notedthat in some embodiments, the eNB 300 may be a stationary non-mobiledevice. The eNB 300 may be suitable for use as an eNB 104 as depicted inFIG. 1. The eNB 300 may include physical layer circuitry 302 and atransceiver 305, one or both of which may enable transmission andreception of signals to and from the UE 200, other eNBs, other UEs orother devices using one or more antennas 301. As an example, thephysical layer circuitry 302 may perform various encoding and decodingfunctions that may include formation of baseband signals fortransmission and decoding of received signals. As another example, thetransceiver 305 may perform various transmission and reception functionssuch as conversion of signals between a baseband range and a RadioFrequency (RF) range. Accordingly, the physical layer circuitry 302 andthe transceiver 305 may be separate components or may be part of acombined component. In addition, some of the described functionalityrelated to transmission and reception of signals may be performed by acombination that may include one, any or all of the physical layercircuitry 302, the transceiver 305, and other components or layers. TheeNB 300 may also include medium access control layer (MAC) circuitry 304for controlling access to the wireless medium. The eNB 300 may alsoinclude processing circuitry 306 and memory 308 arranged to perform theoperations described herein. The eNB 300 may also include one or moreinterfaces 310, which may enable communication with other components,including other eNBs 104 (FIG. 1), gNBs 105, components in the EPC 120(FIG. 1) or other network components. In addition, the interfaces 310may enable communication with other components that may not be shown inFIG. 1, including components external to the network. The interfaces 310may be wired or wireless or a combination thereof. It should be notedthat in some embodiments, an eNB or other base station may include someor all of the components shown in either FIG. 2 or FIG. 3 (such as in300) or both.

It should be noted that in some embodiments, the gNB 350 may be astationary non-mobile device. The gNB 350 may be suitable for use as agNB 105 as depicted in FIG. 1. The gNB 350 may include physical layercircuitry 352 and a transceiver 355, one or both of which may enabletransmission and reception of signals to and from the UE 200, eNBs,other gNBs, other UEs or other devices using one or more antennas 351.As an example, the physical layer circuitry 352 may perform variousencoding and decoding functions that may include formation of basebandsignals for transmission and decoding of received signals. As anotherexample, the transceiver 355 may perform various transmission andreception functions such as conversion of signals between a basebandrange and a Radio Frequency (RF) range. Accordingly, the physical layercircuitry 352 and the transceiver 355 may be separate components or maybe part of a combined component. In addition, some of the describedfunctionality related to transmission and reception of signals may beperformed by a combination that may include one, any or all of thephysical layer circuitry 352, the transceiver 355, and other componentsor layers. The gNB 350 may also include MAC circuitry 354 forcontrolling access to the wireless medium. The gNB 350 may also includeprocessing circuitry 356 and memory 308 arranged to perform theoperations described herein. The gNB 350 may also include one or moreinterfaces 360, which may enable communication with other components,including other gNBs 105 (FIG. 1), eNBs 104 (FIG. 1), components in theEPC 120 (FIG. 1) or other network components. In addition, theinterfaces 360 may enable communication with other components that maynot be shown in FIG. 1, including components external to the network.The interfaces 360 may be wired or wireless or a combination thereof. Itshould be noted that in some embodiments, a gNB or other base stationmay include some or all of the components shown in either FIG. 2 or FIG.3 (such as in 350) or both.

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of a User Equipment (UE) inaccordance with some embodiments. The UE 400 may be suitable for use asa UE 102 as depicted in FIG. 1. In some embodiments, the UE 400 mayinclude application circuitry 402, baseband circuitry 404, RadioFrequency (RF) circuitry 406, front-end module (FEM) circuitry 408 andone or more antennas 410, coupled together at least as shown. In someembodiments, other circuitry or arrangements may include one or moreelements and/or components of the application circuitry 402, thebaseband circuitry 404, the RF circuitry 406 and/or the FEM circuitry408, and may also include other elements and/or components in somecases. As an example, “processing circuitry” may include one or moreelements and/or components, some or all of which may be included in theapplication circuitry 402 and/or the baseband circuitry 404. As anotherexample, a “transceiver” and/or “transceiver circuitry” may include oneor more elements and/or components, some or all of which may be includedin the RF circuitry 406 and/or the FEM circuitry 408. These examples arenot limiting, however, as the processing circuitry, transceiver and/orthe transceiver circuitry may also include other elements and/orcomponents in some cases. It should be noted that in some embodiments, aUE or other mobile device may include some or all of the componentsshown in either FIG. 2 or FIG. 4 or both.

The application circuitry 402 may include one or more applicationprocessors. For example, the application circuitry 402 may includecircuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core ormulti-core processors. The processor(s) may include any combination ofgeneral-purpose processors and dedicated processors (e.g., graphicsprocessors, application processors, etc.). The processors may be coupledwith and/or may include memory/storage and may be configured to executeinstructions stored in the memory/storage to enable various applicationsand/or operating systems to run on the system.

The baseband circuitry 404 may include circuitry such as, but notlimited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. Thebaseband circuitry 404 may include one or more baseband processorsand/or control logic to process baseband signals received from a receivesignal path of the RF circuitry 406 and to generate baseband signals fora transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 406. Baseband processingcircuitry 404 may interface with the application circuitry 402 forgeneration and processing of the baseband signals and for controllingoperations of the RF circuitry 406. For example, in some embodiments,the baseband circuitry 404 may include a second generation (2G) basebandprocessor 404 a, third generation (3G) baseband processor 404 b, fourthgeneration (4G) baseband processor 404 c, and/or other basebandprocessor(s) 404 d for other existing generations, generations indevelopment or to be developed in the future (e.g., fifth generation(5G), 6G, etc.). The baseband circuitry 404 (e.g., one or more ofbaseband processors 404 a-d) may handle various radio control functionsthat enable communication with one or more radio networks via the RFcircuitry 406. The radio control functions may include, but are notlimited to, signal modulation/demodulation, encoding/decoding, radiofrequency shifting, etc. In some embodiments, modulation/demodulationcircuitry of the baseband circuitry 404 may include Fast-FourierTransform (FFT), precoding, and/or constellation mapping/demappingfunctionality. In some embodiments, encoding/decoding circuitry of thebaseband circuitry 404 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution,turbo, Viterbi, and/or Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) encoder/decoderfunctionality. Embodiments of modulation/demodulation andencoder/decoder functionality are not limited to these examples and mayinclude other suitable functionality in other embodiments.

In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 404 may include elements ofa protocol stack such as, for example, elements of an evolved universalterrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN) protocol including, forexample, physical (PHY), media access control (MAC), radio link control(RLC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), and/or radio resourcecontrol (RRC) elements. A central processing unit (CPU) 404 e of thebaseband circuitry 404 may be configured to run elements of the protocolstack for signaling of the PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP and/or RRC layers. Insome embodiments, the baseband circuitry may include one or more audiodigital signal processor(s) (DSP) 404 f The audio DSP(s) 404 f may beinclude elements for compression/decompression and echo cancellation andmay include other suitable processing elements in other embodiments.Components of the baseband circuitry may be suitably combined in asingle chip, a single chipset, or disposed on a same circuit board insome embodiments. In some embodiments, some or all of the constituentcomponents of the baseband circuitry 404 and the application circuitry402 may be implemented together such as, for example, on a system on achip (SOC).

In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 404 may provide forcommunication compatible with one or more radio technologies. Forexample, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 404 may supportcommunication with an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network(EUTRAN) and/or other wireless metropolitan area networks (WMAN), awireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless personal area network(WPAN). Embodiments in which the baseband circuitry 404 is configured tosupport radio communications of more than one wireless protocol may bereferred to as multi-mode baseband circuitry.

RF circuitry 406 may enable communication with wireless networks usingmodulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. Invarious embodiments, the RF circuitry 406 may include switches, filters,amplifiers, etc. to facilitate the communication with the wirelessnetwork. RF circuitry 406 may include a receive signal path which mayinclude circuitry to down-convert RF signals received from the FEMcircuitry 408 and provide baseband signals to the baseband circuitry404. RF circuitry 406 may also include a transmit signal path which mayinclude circuitry to up-convert baseband signals provided by thebaseband circuitry 404 and provide RF output signals to the FEMcircuitry 408 for transmission.

In some embodiments, the RF circuitry 406 may include a receive signalpath and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the RFcircuitry 406 may include mixer circuitry 406 a, amplifier circuitry 406b and filter circuitry 406 c. The transmit signal path of the RFcircuitry 406 may include filter circuitry 406 c and mixer circuitry 406a. RF circuitry 406 may also include synthesizer circuitry 406 d forsynthesizing a frequency for use by the mixer circuitry 406 a of thereceive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some embodiments,the mixer circuitry 406 a of the receive signal path may be configuredto down-convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 408 based onthe synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuitry 406 d. Theamplifier circuitry 406 b may be configured to amplify thedown-converted signals and the filter circuitry 406 c may be a low-passfilter (LPF) or band-pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwantedsignals from the down-converted signals to generate output basebandsignals. Output baseband signals may be provided to the basebandcircuitry 404 for further processing. In some embodiments, the outputbaseband signals may be zero-frequency baseband signals, although thisis not a requirement. In some embodiments, mixer circuitry 406 a of thereceive signal path may comprise passive mixers, although the scope ofthe embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, themixer circuitry 406 a of the transmit signal path may be configured toup-convert input baseband signals based on the synthesized frequencyprovided by the synthesizer circuitry 406 d to generate RF outputsignals for the FEM circuitry 408. The baseband signals may be providedby the baseband circuitry 404 and may be filtered by filter circuitry406 c. The filter circuitry 406 c may include a low-pass filter (LPF),although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 406 a of the receive signalpath and the mixer circuitry 406 a of the transmit signal path mayinclude two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadraturedownconversion and/or upconversion respectively. In some embodiments,the mixer circuitry 406 a of the receive signal path and the mixercircuitry 406 a of the transmit signal path may include two or moremixers and may be arranged for image rejection (e.g., Hartley imagerejection). In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 406 a of thereceive signal path and the mixer circuitry 406 a may be arranged fordirect downconversion and/or direct upconversion, respectively. In someembodiments, the mixer circuitry 406 a of the receive signal path andthe mixer circuitry 406 a of the transmit signal path may be configuredfor super-heterodyne operation.

In some embodiments, the output baseband signals and the input basebandsignals may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of theembodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternateembodiments, the output baseband signals and the input baseband signalsmay be digital baseband signals. In these alternate embodiments, the RFcircuitry 406 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) anddigital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry and the baseband circuitry404 may include a digital baseband interface to communicate with the RFcircuitry 406. In some dual-mode embodiments, a separate radio ICcircuitry may be provided for processing signals for each spectrum,although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 406 d may be afractional-N synthesizer or a fractional N/N+1 synthesizer, although thescope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect as other typesof frequency synthesizers may be suitable. For example, synthesizercircuitry 406 d may be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequencymultiplier, or a synthesizer comprising a phase-locked loop with afrequency divider. The synthesizer circuitry 406 d may be configured tosynthesize an output frequency for use by the mixer circuitry 406 a ofthe RF circuitry 406 based on a frequency input and a divider controlinput. In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 406 d may be afractional N/N+1 synthesizer. In some embodiments, frequency input maybe provided by a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), although that isnot a requirement. Divider control input may be provided by either thebaseband circuitry 404 or the applications processor 402 depending onthe desired output frequency. In some embodiments, a divider controlinput (e.g., N) may be determined from a look-up table based on achannel indicated by the applications processor 402.

Synthesizer circuitry 406 d of the RF circuitry 406 may include adivider, a delay-locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer and a phaseaccumulator. In some embodiments, the divider may be a dual modulusdivider (DMD) and the phase accumulator may be a digital phaseaccumulator (DPA). In some embodiments, the DMD may be configured todivide the input signal by either N or N+1 (e.g., based on a carry out)to provide a fractional division ratio. In some example embodiments, theDLL may include a set of cascaded, tunable, delay elements, a phasedetector, a charge pump and a D-type flip-flop. In these embodiments,the delay elements may be configured to break a VCO period up into Ndequal packets of phase, where Nd is the number of delay elements in thedelay line. In this way, the DLL provides negative feedback to helpensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

In some embodiments, synthesizer circuitry 406 d may be configured togenerate a carrier frequency as the output frequency, while in otherembodiments, the output frequency may be a multiple of the carrierfrequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrierfrequency) and used in conjunction with quadrature generator and dividercircuitry to generate multiple signals at the carrier frequency withmultiple different phases with respect to each other. In someembodiments, the output frequency may be a LO frequency (f_(LO)). Insome embodiments, the RF circuitry 406 may include an IQ/polarconverter.

FEM circuitry 408 may include a receive signal path which may includecircuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or moreantennas 410, amplify the received signals and provide the amplifiedversions of the received signals to the RF circuitry 406 for furtherprocessing. FEM circuitry 408 may also include a transmit signal pathwhich may include circuitry configured to amplify signals fortransmission provided by the RF circuitry 406 for transmission by one ormore of the one or more antennas 410.

In some embodiments, the FEM circuitry 408 may include a TX/RX switch toswitch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. The FEMcircuitry may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path.The receive signal path of the FEM circuitry may include a low-noiseamplifier (LNA) to amplify received RF signals and provide the amplifiedreceived RF signals as an output (e.g., to the RF circuitry 406). Thetransmit signal path of the FEM circuitry 408 may include a poweramplifier (PA) to amplify input RF signals (e.g., provided by RFcircuitry 406), and one or more filters to generate RF signals forsubsequent transmission (e.g., by one or more of the one or moreantennas 410. In some embodiments, the UE 400 may include additionalelements such as, for example, memory/storage, display, camera, sensor,and/or input/output (I/O) interface.

One or more of the antennas 230, 301, 351, 410 may comprise one or moredirectional or omnidirectional antennas, including, for example, dipoleantennas, monopole antennas, patch antennas, loop antennas, microstripantennas or other types of antennas suitable for transmission of RFsignals. In some multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) embodiments, oneor more of the antennas 230, 301, 351, 410 may be effectively separatedto take advantage of spatial diversity and the different channelcharacteristics that may result.

In some embodiments, the UE 400 and/or the eNB 300 and/or gNB 350 may bea mobile device and may be a portable wireless communication device,such as a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop or portablecomputer with wireless communication capability, a web tablet, awireless telephone, a smartphone, a wireless headset, a pager, aninstant messaging device, a digital camera, an access point, atelevision, a wearable device such as a medical device (e.g., a heartrate monitor, a blood pressure monitor, etc.), or other device that mayreceive and/or transmit information wirelessly. In some embodiments, theUE 400 and/or eNB 300 and/or gNB 350 may be configured to operate inaccordance with 3GPP standards, although the scope of the embodiments isnot limited in this respect. Mobile devices or other devices in someembodiments may be configured to operate according to other protocols orstandards, including IEEE 802.11 or other IEEE standards. In someembodiments, the UE 400, eNB 300, gNB 350 and/or other device mayinclude one or more of a keyboard, a display, a non-volatile memoryport, multiple antennas, a graphics processor, an application processor,speakers, and other mobile device elements. The display may be an LCDscreen including a touch screen.

Although the UE 400, the eNB 300 and the gNB 350 are each illustrated ashaving several separate functional elements, one or more of thefunctional elements may be combined and may be implemented bycombinations of software-configured elements, such as processingelements including digital signal processors (DSPs), and/or otherhardware elements. For example, some elements may comprise one or moremicroprocessors, DSPs, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs),application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), radio-frequencyintegrated circuits (RFICs) and combinations of various hardware andlogic circuitry for performing at least the functions described herein.In some embodiments, the functional elements may refer to one or moreprocesses operating on one or more processing elements.

Embodiments may be implemented in one or a combination of hardware,firmware and software. Embodiments may also be implemented asinstructions stored on a computer-readable storage device, which may beread and executed by at least one processor to perform the operationsdescribed herein. A computer-readable storage device may include anynon-transitory mechanism for storing information in a form readable by amachine (e.g., a computer). For example, a computer-readable storagedevice may include read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM),magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash-memorydevices, and other storage devices and media. Some embodiments mayinclude one or more processors and may be configured with instructionsstored on a computer-readable storage device.

It should be noted that in some embodiments, an apparatus used by the UE400 and/or eNB 300 and/or gNB 350 and/or machine 200 may include variouscomponents of the UE 400 and/or the eNB 300 and/or the gNB 350 and/orthe machine 200 as shown in FIGS. 2-4. Accordingly, techniques andoperations described herein that refer to the UE 400 (or 102) may beapplicable to an apparatus for a UE. In addition, techniques andoperations described herein that refer to the eNB 300 (or 104) may beapplicable to an apparatus for an eNB. In addition, techniques andoperations described herein that refer to the gNB 350 (or 105) may beapplicable to an apparatus for a gNB.

In accordance with some embodiments, the UE 102 may receive downlinkcontrol information (DCI) that schedules a downlink transmission of atransport block (TB). The TB may include multiple code blocks. The UE102 may determine a transport block size (TBS) based on the DCI. The UE102 may attempt to decode the code blocks. The UE 102 may, if the TBS isgreater than a predetermined threshold: bundle the code blocks into codeblock groups for hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgementand transmit a HARQ bit per code block group. The HARQ bit for aparticular code block group may indicate whether a decode failure hasoccurred for at least one of the code blocks of the particular codeblock group. The UE 102 may, if the TBS is less than or equal to thethreshold, transmit a HARQ bit that indicates whether a decode failurehas occurred for at least one of the code blocks of the TB. Theseembodiments are described in more detail below.

FIG. 5 illustrates the operation of a method of communication inaccordance with some embodiments. It is important to note thatembodiments of the method 500 may include additional or even feweroperations or processes in comparison to what is illustrated in FIG. 5.In addition, embodiments of the method 500 are not necessarily limitedto the chronological order that is shown in FIG. 5. In describing themethod 500, reference may be made to FIGS. 1-4 and 6-13, although it isunderstood that the method 500 may be practiced with any other suitablesystems, interfaces and components.

In some embodiments, a UE 102 may perform one or more operations of themethod 500, but embodiments are not limited to performance of the method500 and/or operations of it by the UE 102. In some embodiments, the eNB104 and/or gNB 105 may perform one or more operations of the method 500(and/or similar operations). Accordingly, although references may bemade to performance of one or more operations of the method 500 by theUE 102 in descriptions herein, it is understood that the eNB 104 and/orgNB 105 may perform the same operation(s), similar operation(s) and/orreciprocal operation(s), in some embodiments.

In addition, while the method 500 and other methods described herein mayrefer to eNBs 104, gNBs 105 or UEs 102 operating in accordance with 3GPPstandards, 5G standards and/or other standards, embodiments of thosemethods are not limited to just those eNBs 104, gNBs 105 or UEs 102 andmay also be practiced on other devices, such as a Wi-Fi access point(AP) or user station (STA). In addition, the method 500 and othermethods described herein may be practiced by wireless devices configuredto operate in other suitable types of wireless communication systems,including systems configured to operate according to various IEEEstandards such as IEEE 802.11. The method 500 may also be applicable toan apparatus of a UE 102, an apparatus of an eNB 104, an apparatus of agNB 105 and/or an apparatus of another device described above.

It should also be noted that embodiments are not limited by referencesherein (such as in descriptions of the methods 500 and 600 and/or otherdescriptions herein) to transmission, reception and/or exchanging ofelements such as frames, messages, requests, indicators, signals orother elements. In some embodiments, such an element may be generated,encoded or otherwise processed by processing circuitry (such as by abaseband processor included in the processing circuitry) fortransmission. The transmission may be performed by a transceiver orother component, in some cases. In some embodiments, such an element maybe decoded, detected or otherwise processed by the processing circuitry(such as by the baseband processor). The element may be received by atransceiver or other component, in some cases. In some embodiments, theprocessing circuitry and the transceiver may be included in a sameapparatus. The scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect,however, as the transceiver may be separate from the apparatus thatcomprises the processing circuitry, in some embodiments.

At operation 505, the UE 102 may receive one or more minimum systeminformation (MSI), one or more remaining minimum system information(RMSI) and/or one or more system information blocks (SIBs). At operation510, the UE 102 may receive radio resource control (RRC) signaling. TheRRC signaling, MSI(s), RMSI(s) and/or SIB(s) may include variousinformation, including but not limited to information related to HARQ,information related to code block groups, one or more thresholds,candidate bundle sizes (for bundling of code blocks) and/or other. Theseexamples will be described in more detail below. It should be noted thatembodiments are not limited to usage of RRC signaling, MSI(s), RMSI(s)and/or SIB(s) to communicate such information, as other signaling,messages, blocks and/or other elements may be used, in some embodiments.For instance, a master information block (MIB) may be used in someembodiments, including but not limited to the examples and theembodiments described herein.

In some embodiments, the RRC signaling, MSI(s), RMSI(s) and/or SIB(s)may be received from an eNB 104, although the scope of embodiments isnot limited in this respect. In some embodiments, the RRC signaling,MSI(s), RMSI(s) and/or SIB(s) may be received from a gNB 105, althoughthe scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. In someembodiments, the RRC signaling, MSI(s), RMSI(s) and/or SIB(s) may bereceived from another base station component and/or other component.

It should be noted that some embodiments may not necessarily include alloperations shown in FIG. 5. In some embodiments, the UE 102 may performone of operations 505-510 but may not necessarily perform bothoperations 505-510. In some embodiments, the UE 102 may perform both ofoperations 505-510.

At operation 515, the UE 102 may receive downlink control information(DCI). At operation 520, the UE 102 may determine a transport block size(TBS). At operation 525, the UE 102 may determine code block groups.

In some embodiments, the UE 102 may receive a DCI that schedules adownlink transport block (TB). In some cases, the TB may includemultiple code blocks, although the scope of embodiments is not limitedin this respect. In some embodiments, the TB may be configurable toinclude one or more code blocks.

The DCI may include information related to the TB, including but notlimited to time resources for the TB, frequency resources for the TB, amodulation and coding scheme (MCS) for the TB, a number of symbols (suchas symbol periods, OFDM symbol periods and/or other), a size of the TB,a number of code blocks in the TB, a bundle size for bundling of codeblocks and/or other. In some embodiments, the UE 102 may determine theTBS based at least partly on information included in the DCI.

In some embodiments, if the TBS is greater than a predeterminedthreshold, the UE 102 may bundle the code blocks into code block groupsfor hybrid automatic repeat request (HARD) acknowledgement. In somecases, if the TBS is less than or equal to the threshold, the UE 102 maynot necessarily bundle the code blocks into code block groups. Forinstance, a single code block group may be used in such cases.

In some embodiments, the threshold may be included in one or more MSIs,one or more RMSIs, one or more SIBs and/or RRC signaling received by theUE 102. The scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect,however, as other blocks, signaling, messages and/or other elements maybe used to communicate the threshold.

In some embodiments, the UE 102 may, if the TBS is greater than thefirst threshold and less than or equal to a second predeterminedthreshold, bundle the code blocks into the code block groups based on afirst bundle size. The UE 102 may, if the TBS is greater than the secondthreshold, bundle the code blocks into the code block groups based on asecond bundle size. The first bundle size and/or second bundle size maybe included in one or more MSIs, one or more RMSIs, one or more SIBsand/or RRC signaling received by the UE 102, in some embodiments. Thescope of embodiments is not limited in this respect, however, as otherblocks, signaling, messages and/or other elements may be used tocommunicate the bundle size(s).

In some embodiments, a plurality of thresholds may be used. The UE 102may compare the TBS with a plurality of predetermined thresholds. The UE102 may determine a number of the code block groups to be used based ona predetermined mapping between the number of the code block groups andthe thresholds of the plurality. The threshold(s) may be included in oneor more MSIs, one or more RMSIs, one or more SIBs and/or RRC signalingreceived by the UE 102, in some embodiments. The scope of embodiments isnot limited in this respect, however, as other blocks, signaling,messages and/or other elements may be used to communicate thethreshold(s).

In some embodiments, if the TBS is greater than the threshold, the UE102 may bundle the code blocks into the code block groups based on abundle size indicated in the DCI. In a non-limiting example, the bundlesize may indicate a number of code blocks per code block group. Inanother non-limiting example, the bundle size may indicate a number ofcode block groups per TB. In some embodiments, candidate bundle sizesmay be included in one or more MSIs, one or more RMSIs, one or more SIBsand/or RRC signaling received by the UE 102. The scope of embodiments isnot limited in this respect, however, as other blocks, signaling,messages and/or other elements may be used to communicate the candidatebundle sizes. The UE 102 may select the bundle size (to be used tobundle the code blocks into code block groups) from the candidate bundlesizes based on an indicator included in the DCI. In some embodiments,the UE 102 may perform this operation if the TBS is greater than thethreshold, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in thisrespect.

In some embodiments, the UE 102 may bundle the code blocks to includeone or more contiguous code blocks per code block group. In someembodiments, the UE 102 may bundle the code blocks if the TBS is greaterthan the threshold, although the scope of embodiments is not limited inthis respect.

In some embodiments, the UE 102 may bundle the code blocks into codeblock groups of uniform size in terms of number of code blocks (such asthe bundle size and/or other). In some embodiments, the UE 102 maybundle the code blocks into code block groups of uniform size in termsof number of code blocks (such as the bundle size and/or other), whereinthe code block groups include contiguous code blocks. In a non-limitingexample, the TB may include 12 code blocks, the bundle size may be 4,and the UE 102 may bundle the code blocks into 3 code block groups ofcontiguous code blocks. For instance, if the code blocks are numbered1-12, a first code block group may include code blocks numbered 1-4, asecond code block group may include code blocks numbered 5-8, and athird code block group may include code blocks numbered 9-12.

In some embodiments, the UE 102 may bundle the code blocks into codeblock groups, wherein one or more of the code block groups are of aparticular size in terms of number of code blocks (such as the bundlesize and/or other). In a non-limiting example, the TB may include 11code blocks, the bundle size may be 4, and the UE 102 may bundle thecode blocks into 3 code block groups of contiguous code blocks (two codeblock groups with 4 code blocks and one code block group with 3 codeblocks). For instance, if the code blocks are numbered 1-11, a firstcode block group may include code blocks numbered 1-4, a second codeblock group may include code blocks numbered 5-8, and a third code blockgroup may include code blocks numbered 9-11.

These examples of bundling code blocks into code block groups are notlimiting. Embodiments are not limited to usage of contiguous code blocksin the code block groups. Embodiments are also not limited to usage of auniform size in terms of number of code blocks per code block group.

At operation 530, the UE 102 may attempt to decode the code blocks. Atoperation 535, the UE 102 may transmit one or more HARQ bits.

In some embodiments, if multiple code block groups are used, the UE 102may transmit a HARQ bit per code block group. For instance, the UE 102may transmit a HARQ bit for each code block group. In a non-limitingexample, the HARQ bit for a particular code block group may indicatewhether a decode failure has occurred for at least one of the codeblocks of the particular code block group. In addition, in cases inwhich the code blocks are not bundled into multiple code block groups,the UE 102 may transmit a HARQ bit that indicates whether a decodefailure has occurred for at least one of the code blocks of the TB. Forinstance, in some cases in which the code blocks are not bundled intomultiple code block groups, a single HARQ bit may be used to indicatewhether a decode failure has occurred for at least one of the codeblocks of the TB.

In some embodiments, if the TBS is greater than a predeterminedthreshold, the UE 102 may bundle the code blocks into code block groupsfor the HARQ acknowledgement. The UE 102 may transmit a HARQ bit percode block group. The HARQ bit for a particular code block group mayindicate whether a decode failure has occurred for at least one of thecode blocks of the particular code block group. If the TBS is less thanor equal to the threshold, the UE 102 may transmit a HARQ bit thatindicates whether a decode failure has occurred for at least one of thecode blocks of the TB.

In some embodiments, one or more HARQ bits may indicate a firstchronological code block (of a sequence of code blocks) for which adecode failure occurs. In some embodiments, a DCI may schedule adownlink transmission of a TB that includes a sequence of code blocks.The UE 102 may attempt to decode the sequence of code blocks. The UE 102may, if a decode failure occurs for at least one of the code blocks,transmit HARQ bits to indicate a first chronological code block of thesequence for which one of the decode failures has occurred. The UE 102may, if the code blocks of the TB have been decoded successfully,transmit a particular value for the HARQ bits, wherein the particularvalue may be reserved to indicate that the code blocks of the TB havebeen decoded successfully. A number of HARQ bits to be encoded may bedetermined, by the UE 102, based on information included in the DCI,MSI(s), RMSI(s), SIB(s), RRC signaling and/or other. In a non-limitingexample, the UE 102 may determine a number of code blocks in the TBbased on the DCI. The UE 102 may also determine the number of HARQ bitsto be encoded based at least partly on the number of code blocks in theTB.

In some embodiments, an apparatus of a UE 102 may comprise memory. Thememory may be configurable to store the TBS. The memory may store one ormore other elements and the apparatus may use them for performance ofone or more operations. The apparatus may include processing circuitry,which may perform one or more operations (including but not limited tooperation(s) of the method 500 and/or other methods described herein).The processing circuitry may include a baseband processor. The basebandcircuitry and/or the processing circuitry may perform one or moreoperations described herein, including but not limited to decoding ofthe DCI and determination of the TBS. The apparatus of the UE 102 mayinclude a transceiver to receive the TB. The transceiver may transmitand/or receive other blocks, messages and/or other elements.

FIG. 6 illustrates the operation of another method of communication inaccordance with some embodiments. As mentioned previously regarding themethod 600, embodiments of the method 600 may include additional or evenfewer operations or processes in comparison to what is illustrated inFIG. 6 and embodiments of the method 600 are not necessarily limited tothe chronological order that is shown in FIG. 6. In describing themethod 600, reference may be made to FIGS. 1-13, although it isunderstood that the method 600 may be practiced with any other suitablesystems, interfaces and components. In addition, embodiments of themethod 600 may be applicable to UEs 102, eNBs 104, gNBs 105, APs, STAsand/or other wireless or mobile devices. The method 600 may also beapplicable to an apparatus of a UE 102, eNB 104, gNB 105 and/or otherdevice described above.

It should be noted that references to an eNB 104 (such as indescriptions of the method 600 and/or other descriptions) are notlimiting. In some embodiments, a gNB 105 may perform one or moreoperations of the method 600. In some embodiments, an eNB 104 configuredto operate as a gNB 105 may perform one or more operations of the method600.

In some embodiments, an eNB 104 may perform one or more operations ofthe method 600, but embodiments are not limited to performance of themethod 600 and/or operations of it by the eNB 104. In some embodiments,the gNB 105 may perform one or more operations of the method 600 (and/orsimilar operations). In some embodiments, an eNB 104 may be configuredto operate as a gNB 105 and may perform one or more operations of themethod 600 (and/or similar operations). In some embodiments, the UE 102may perform one or more operations of the method 600 (and/or similaroperations). Accordingly, although references may be made to performanceof one or more operations of the method 600 by the eNB 104 indescriptions herein, it is understood that the UE 102 may perform thesame operation(s), similar operation(s) and/or reciprocal operation(s),in some embodiments.

It should be noted that the method 600 may be practiced by an eNB 104and may include exchanging of elements, such as frames, signals,messages and/or other elements, with a UE 102. Similarly, the method 500may be practiced by a UE 102 and may include exchanging of such elementswith an eNB 104. In some cases, operations and techniques described aspart of the method 500 may be relevant to the method 600. In addition,embodiments of the method 600 may include one or more operationsperformed by the eNB 104 that may be the same as, similar to orreciprocal to one or more operations described herein performed by theUE 102 (including but not limited to operations of the method 500). Forinstance, an operation of the method 500 may include reception of anelement (such as a frame, block, message and/or other) by a UE 102 andthe method 600 may include transmission of a same or similar element bythe eNB 104.

In addition, previous discussion of various techniques and concepts maybe applicable to the method 600 in some cases, including MSI, RMSI, MIB,SIB, RRC signaling, TB, TBS, DCI, code blocks, code block groups, HARQ,HARQ bits, bundle sizes, candidate bundle sizes, technique(s) todetermine a number of HARQ bits, technique(s) to bundle code blocks intocode block groups, technique(s) to determine code block groups,technique(s) to determine a number of code block groups and/or others.In addition, the examples shown in FIGS. 7-9 may also be applicable, insome cases, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in thisrespect.

At operation 605, the eNB 104 may transmit an MSI, RMSI and/or SIB. Atoperation 610, the eNB 104 may transmit RRC signaling. It should benoted that some embodiments may not necessarily include all operationsshown in FIG. 6. In some embodiments, the eNB 104 may perform one ofoperations 605-610 but may not necessarily perform both operations605-610. In some embodiments, the eNB 104 may perform both of operations605-610.

At operation 615, the eNB 104 may transmit a DCI that schedules adownlink transport block (TB). At operation 620, the eNB 104 maydetermine a TBS. At operation 625, the eNB 104 may determine code blockgroups.

In some embodiments, the TB may include multiple code blocks. The DCImay include information related to the TB, including but not limited totime resources for the TB, frequency resources for the TB, a modulationand coding scheme (MCS) for the TB, a number of symbols (such as symbolperiods, OFDM symbol periods and/or other), a size of the TB, a numberof code blocks in the TB, a bundle size for bundling of code blocksand/or other. In some embodiments, the eNB 104 may determine the TBSbased at least partly on such information. In some embodiments, the TBSmay be based at least partly on such information.

In some embodiments, one or more of the techniques described herein fordetermination of code block groups by the UE 102 may be used by the eNB104. In some embodiments, one or more techniques that are similar to oneor more of the techniques described herein for determination of codeblock groups by the UE 102 may be used by the eNB 104. The scope ofembodiments is not limited to usage of techniques that are the same asor similar to those techniques described herein, however, as anysuitable technique(s) may be used to determine the code block groups.

At operation 630, the eNB 104 may receive one or more HARQ bits. In someembodiments, one or more of the techniques described herein fordetermination of the HARQ bits by the UE 102 may be applicable tooperation 630. For instance, the received HARQ bits may be encodedand/or formatted in accordance with one or more techniques describedherein. The eNB 104 may determine the meaning of the HARQ bit(s)accordingly. For instance, the eNB 104 may determine whether code blockgroups are used, a mapping between HARQ bit(s) and code block groups,whether the HARQ bit(s) indicate a first chronological code block forwhich a decode failure occurs and/or other information. The scope ofembodiments is not limited to usage of techniques that are the same asor similar to those techniques described herein, however, as anysuitable technique(s) may be used to determine the meaning of the HARQbits.

In some embodiments, the eNB 104 may transmit, to the UE 102, atransport block (TB) that includes multiple code blocks. The eNB 104 maydetermine, based on a transport block size (TBS), a bundle size to beused to bundle the code blocks into code block groups for hybridautomatic repeat request (HARQ) of the TB. In a non-limiting example,the bundle size may indicate a number of code blocks per code blockgroup. In another non-limiting example, the bundle size may indicate anumber of code block groups per TB. The eNB 104 may transmit, to the UE102, downlink control information (DCI) that schedules a downlinktransmission of the TB. The DCI may include the bundle size. The eNB 104may decode HARQ bits from the UE 102 in accordance with a mappingbetween the HARQ bits and the code block groups. The HARQ bit for aparticular code block group may indicate whether a decode failure hasoccurred, at the UE 102, for at least one of the code blocks of theparticular code block group.

In some embodiments, the eNB 104 and/or UE 102 may determine the bundlesize based on a non-decreasing relationship between the bundle size andthe TBS. In a non-limiting example, the eNB 104 and/or UE 102 maydetermine a first bundle size for a first TBS and may determine a secondbundle size for a second TBS. In accordance with the non-decreasingrelationship, if the first TBS is greater than the second TBS, the firstbundle size may be greater than or equal to the second bundle size. Thismay be true for some or all possible combinations of first TBS andsecond TBS, in some embodiments.

In some embodiments, the eNB 104 may transmit an MSI, an RMSI, an SIBand/or radio resource control (RRC) signaling. The MSI, RMSI, SIB and/orRRC signaling may include candidate bundle sizes. The eNB 104 may encodethe DCI to indicate the bundle size as one of the candidate bundlesizes.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ)in accordance with some embodiments. FIG. 8 illustrates another exampleof HARQ in accordance with some embodiments. FIG. 9 illustrates anexample of puncturing in accordance with some embodiments. FIG. 10illustrates an example radio frame structure in accordance with someembodiments. FIG. 11 illustrates example frequency resources inaccordance with some embodiments. FIG. 12 illustrates an example ofentities exchanging radio resource control (RRC) elements in accordancewith some embodiments. FIG. 13 illustrates an example entity that may beused to implement medium access control (MAC) layer functions inaccordance with some embodiments. It should be noted that the examplesshown in FIGS. 7-13 may illustrate some or all of the concepts andtechniques described herein in some cases, but embodiments are notlimited by the examples. For instance, embodiments are not limited bythe name, number, type, size, ordering, arrangement and/or other aspectsof the operations, time resources, frequency resources, code blocks,code block groups, transport blocks (TBs), transport block sizes (TBSs),data regions and other elements as shown in FIGS. 7-13. Although some ofthe elements shown in the examples of FIGS. 7-13 may be included in a3GPP LTE standard, 5G standard, NR standard and/or other standard,embodiments are not limited to usage of such elements that are includedin standards.

In some scenarios, an NR protocol may enable higher data rates comparedto other protocols, such as 3GPP LTE protocols, legacy protocols and/orother. In a non-limiting example, a NR protocol may be capable of a peakdata rate of more than 10 Gps and a minimum guaranteed user data rate ofat least 100 Mbps. To support the higher data rate for NR, a largersystem bandwidth (in comparison to other systems, such as 3GPP LTE andother(s)) may be used. For instance, a carrier frequency above 6 GHz maybe used, including but not limited to cmWave frequencies and/or mmWavefrequencies. In some embodiments, multiple code blocks for one transportblock may be transmitted in one slot.

In some embodiments, a hybrid automatic repeat request-acknowledgement(HARQ-ACK) bit may be used to indicate whether one transport block issuccessfully decoded. Given that a large number of code blocks may besupported in NR, one bit HARQ-ACK feedback for one transport block maynot be desirable, especially when considering the retransmission. Incases when the receiver fails to decode the transport block and feedsback NACK to the transmitter, the transmitter may retransmit the wholetransport block, which may consume a substantial amount of resources forretransmission.

In some embodiments, HARQ-ACK for multiple code blocks may be bundled toreduce HARQ-ACK feedback overhead. In some cases, the bundled size maybe semi-statically configured by higher layers. Referring to FIG. 7, anexample of code block specific HARQ-ACK feedback is shown. In thisexample, one transport block includes 12 code blocks 705 and a bundledsize for HARQ-ACK feedback is 4. In this case, 3 HARQ-ACK bits are usedto indicate whether 3 sub-transport blocks (720, 730 and 740) aresuccessfully decoded, where each sub-transport block includes 4 codeblocks 705.

In an example scenario, UEs 102 operating in relatively good channelconditions (for instance, cell centered UEs 102), the gNB 105 mayschedule the transmission of transport blocks with a large payload sizeand a high coding rate. However, for cell edge UEs 102, coverage may bea dominant factor and in this case, transport blocks with a low codingrate and a small payload size may be scheduled. In some cases, animproved link budget may be realized as a result. For UEs thatexperience high mobility, channel conditions may change frequently.Accordingly, a dynamic code block HARQ-ACK mechanism may be used for UEs102 in different conditions, in some embodiments.

In some embodiments, a technique for adaptive code block HARQ-ACKfeedback for NR may be used. It should be noted that although thetechnique may be described herein for HARQ-ACK feedback for datatransmission which spans one slot, the design principle may be extendedto the HARQ-ACK feedback for multiple data transmissions, in someembodiments.

In some embodiments, a number of HARQ-ACK feedback bits may beimplicitly derived from the transport block size (TBS) for the scheduleddata transmission. For instance, one or more TBS thresholds may be usedto determine a number of HARQ-ACK feedback bits and/or a bundle size forHARQ-ACK for multiple code blocks. In a non-limiting example, the TBSthreshold(s) may be predefined in the specification. In anothernon-limiting example, the TBS threshold(s) may be configured by higherlayers via MSI, RMSI, SIB and/or RRC signaling.

In a non-limiting example, a TBS threshold may be defined. If the TBS isgreater than the TBS threshold, a 2 bit HARQ-ACK may be determined. Forinstance, a first bit may be used to indicate whether the first half oftransport block is successfully decoded. A second bit may be used toindicate whether the second half of the transport block is successfullydecoded. In other words, with “Kcb” code blocks, HARQ-ACK feedback bitsfor code blocks of index 0 through floor(Kcb/2) may be bundled whileHARQ-ACK feedback bits for code blocks of index (floor(Kcb/2)+1) through(Kcb−1) may be bundled.

In another non-limiting example, three TBS thresholds may be defined. Anumber of HARQ-ACK bits may be determined by a technique such asfollows—

$\{ {\begin{matrix}{{L = 1},} & {{TBS} \leq {Threshold}_{0}} \\{{L = 2},} & {{Threshold}_{0} < {TBS} \leq {Threshold}_{1}} \\{{L = 3},} & {{Threshold}_{1} < {TBS} \leq {Threshold}_{2}} \\{{L = 4},} & {{TBS} > {Threshold}_{2}}\end{matrix}\quad} $

In the above, L is the number of HARQ-ACK feedback bits.

In some embodiments, bundled sizes for code block based HARQ-ACK may bedynamically indicated in the downlink control information (DCI) fordownlink or uplink grant. In a non-limiting example, bundled sizes maybe configured by higher layers via MSI, RMSI, SIB and/or RRC signaling.As shown in the table below, one field in the DCI may be used toindicate which bundled size is applied for HARQ-ACK feedback for thescheduled transport block. In a non-limiting example, in case bundledsize=0, this may be used to indicate that no HARQ-ACK bundling isapplied, i.e., the receiver only feeds back one bit for one transportblock.

Field in the DCI Bundled size 00 A first bundled size configured byhigher layers 01 A second bundled size configured by higher layers 10 Athird bundled size configured by higher layers 11 A fourth bundled sizeconfigured by higher layers

In a non-limiting example, four bundled sizes {0, 2, 4, 8} may beconfigured by higher layers. In the DCI, bit “10” may be used toindicate that a bundled size of 4 is applied for code block basedHARQ-ACK feedback, as shown in FIG. 8.

In some cases, a channel condition may be highly correlated (such as intime). When the receiver fails to decode certain code blocks, decodingfor subsequent code blocks may likely fail. In some embodiments, thereceiver may feedback code block based HARQ-ACK based on an ACK and NACKpattern. In a non-limiting example, assuming four sub-transport blocks,the receiver may feedback the HARQ-ACK bit based on the followingpattern: 1) for bits “00”: ACK, NACK, xx, xx, 2) for bits “01”: ACK,ACK, NACK, xx, 3) for bits “10”: ACK, ACK, ACK, NACK, 4) for bits “11”:ACK, ACK, ACK, ACK. In the above, “xx” indicates either ACK or NACK forthe corresponding sub-transport block. Note that this mechanism cansubstantially reduce the HARQ-ACK feedback overhead. For instance, withfour sub-transport blocks, 4 HARQ-ACK bits may be used. Based on theabove example, the number of HARQ-ACK bits may be reduced to 2.

In some cases, enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) and ultra-reliable andlow latency communications (URLCC) may operate in accordance withdifferent user plane latency and coverage levels. For instance, URLLCmay operate with targets such as: 1) user plane latency of 0.5 ms forUL, and 0.5 ms for DL, 2) reliability of 1-10⁻⁵ within 1 ms. In someembodiments, to support efficient multiplexing of eMBB and URLLCservices in the same carrier, puncturing the eMBB data region by URLLCdata may be used. In some cases, a good efficiency in terms of resourceutilization may be provided, as both URLLC and eMBB may be scheduled ondemand.

In some embodiments, an eMBB data region may be punctured by URLLC data.Different latencies for URLLC and eMBB may be realized, in some cases. Anon-limiting example is shown in FIG. 9, in which the eMBB region 910may be punctured by the URLLC region 920.

To improve the spectrum efficiency for eMBB, such as for retransmission,code block specific HARQ-ACK feedback may be applied for eMBB data. Insome embodiments, given that URLLC may puncture a certain number of codeblocks for eMBB, the receiver may feedback the first code block index orsub-transport block which is not successfully decoded. To further reducethe signaling overhead, the receiver may feedback the position of afirst bundled NACK for sub-transport block.

In a non-limiting example, assuming four sub-transport blocks, in casewhen the 2nd (such as 2nd chronologically) sub-transport block is notdecoded successfully, the receiver may feedback bit values of “01” forHARQ-ACK. In some cases, such a technique may enable a savings in termsof HARQ-ACK feedback overhead.

An example of a radio frame structure that may be used in some aspectsis shown in FIG. 10. In this example, radio frame 1000 has a duration of10 ms. Radio frame 1000 is divided into slots 1002 each of duration 0.5ms, and numbered from 0 to 19. Additionally, each pair of adjacent slots$D102 numbered 2i and 2i+1, where i is an integer, is referred to as asubframe 1001.

In some aspects using the radio frame format of FIG. 10, each subframe1001 may include a combination of one or more of downlink controlinformation, downlink data information, uplink control information anduplink data information. The combination of information types anddirection may be selected independently for each subframe 1001.

In some aspects, a sub-component of a transmitted signal consisting ofone subcarrier in the frequency domain and one symbol interval in thetime domain may be termed a resource element. Resource elements may bedepicted in a grid form as shown in FIG. 11A and FIG. 11B.

In some aspects, illustrated in FIG. 11A, resource elements may begrouped into rectangular resource blocks 1100 consisting of 12subcarriers in the frequency domain and the P symbols in the timedomain, where P may correspond to the number of symbols contained in oneslot, and may be 6, 7, or any other suitable number of symbols.

In some alternative aspects, illustrated in FIG. 11B, resource elementsmay be grouped into resource blocks 1100 consisting of 12 subcarriers(as indicated by 1102) in the frequency domain and one symbol in thetime domain. In the depictions of FIG. 11A and FIG. 11B, each resourceelement 1105 may be indexed as (k, 1) where k is the index number ofsubcarrier, in the range 0 to N·M−1 (as indicated by 1103), where N isthe number of subcarriers in a resource block, and M is the number ofresource blocks spanning a component carrier in the frequency domain.

Some aspects of communication between instances of radio resourcecontrol (RRC) layer 1200 are illustrated in FIG. 12. According to anaspect, an instance of RRC 1200 contained in a user equipment (UE) 1205may encode and decode messages, transmitted to and received fromrespectively, a peer RRC instance 1200 contained in a base station 1210which may be an evolved node B (eNodeB), gNodeB or other base stationinstance.

According to an aspect, an RRC 1200 instance may encode or decodebroadcast messages, which may include one or more of system information,cell selection and reselection parameters, neighboring cell information,common channel configuration parameters, and other broadcast managementinformation.

According to an aspect, an RRC 1200 instance may encode or decode RRCconnection control messages, which may include one or more of paginginformation, messages to establish, modify, suspend, resume or releaseRRC connection, messages to assign or modify UE identity, which mayinclude a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI), messages toestablish, modify or release a signaling radio bearer (SRB), data radiobearer (DRB) or QoS flow, messages to establish, modify or releasesecurity associations including integrity protection and cipheringinformation, messages to control inter-frequency, intra-frequency andinter-radio access technology (RAT) handover, messages to recover fromradio link failure, messages to configure and report measurementinformation, and other management control and information functions.

An entity 1300 that may be used to implement medium access control layerfunctions according to an aspect is illustrated in FIG. 13. According tosome aspects, MAC entity 1300 may include one or more of a controller1305, a logical channel prioritizing unit 1310, a channel multiplexer &de-multiplexer 1315, a PDU filter unit 1315, random access protocolentity 1320, data hybrid automatic repeat request protocol (HARQ) entity1325 and broadcast HARQ entity 1330.

According to some aspects, a higher layer may exchange control andstatus messages 1335 with controller 1305 via management service accesspoint 1340. According to some aspects, MAC service data units (SDU)corresponding to one or more logical channels 1345, 1355, 1365 and 1375may be exchanged with MAC entity 1300 via one or more service accesspoints (SAP) 1350, 1360, 1370 and 1380. According to some aspects, PHYservice data units (SDU) corresponding to one or more transport channels1302, 1304, 1306, 1308 may be exchanged with a physical layer entity viaone or more service access points (SAP) 1301, 1303, 1305, 1307.

According to some aspects, logical channel prioritization unit 1310 mayperform prioritization amongst one or more logical channels 1345 and1355, which may include storing parameters and/or state informationcorresponding to each of the one or more logical channels. Suchparameters and/or state information may be initialized when a logicalchannel is established. According to some aspects, logical channelprioritization unit 1310 may be configured with a set of parameters foreach of one or more logical channels 1345 and 1355, the each setincluding parameters which may include one or more of a prioritized bitrate (PBR) and a bucket size duration (BSD).

According to some aspects, multiplexer & de-multiplexer 1315 maygenerate MAC PDUs, which may include one or more of MAC-SDUs or partialMAC-SDUs corresponding to one or more logical channels, a MAC headerwhich may include one or more MAC sub-headers, one or more MAC controlelements, and padding data. According to some aspects, multiplexer &de-multiplexer 1315 may separate one or more MAC-SDUs or partialMAC-SDUs contained in a received MAC PDU, corresponding to one or morelogical channels 1345 and 1355, and may indicate the one or moreMAC-SDUs or partial MAC-SDUs to a higher layer via one or more serviceaccess points 1350 and 1360.

According to some aspects, HARQ entity 1325 and broadcast HARQ entity1330 may include one or more parallel HARQ processes, each of which maybe associated with a HARQ identifier, and which may be one of a receiveor transmit HARQ process.

According to some aspects, a transmit HARQ process may generate atransport block (TB) to be encoded by the PHY according to a specifiedredundancy version (RV), by selecting a MAC-PDU for transmission.According to some aspects, a transmit HARQ process that is included in abroadcast HARQ entity 1330 may retransmit a same TB in successivetransmit intervals a predetermined number of times. According to someaspects, a transmit HARQ process included in a HARQ entity 1325 maydetermine whether to retransmit a previously transmitted TB or totransmit a new TB at a transmit time based on whether a positiveacknowledgement or a negative acknowledgement was received for aprevious transmission.

According to some aspects, a receive HARQ process may be provided withencoded data corresponding to one or more received TBs and which may beassociated with one or more of a new data indication (NDI) and aredundancy version (RV), and the receive HARQ process may determinewhether each such received encoded data block corresponds to aretransmission of a previously received TB or a not previously receivedTB. According to some aspects, a receive HARQ process may include abuffer, which may be implemented as a memory or other suitable storagedevice, and may be used to store data based on previously received datafor a TB. According to some aspects, a receive HARQ process may attemptto decode a TB, the decoding based on received data for the TB, andwhich may be additionally be based on the stored data based onpreviously received data for the TB.

In Example 1, an apparatus of a User Equipment (UE) may comprise memory.The apparatus may further comprise processing circuitry. The processingcircuitry may be configured to decode downlink control information (DCI)that schedules a downlink transmission of a transport block (TB). The TBmay include multiple code blocks. The processing circuitry may befurther configured to determine a transport block size (TBS) based onthe DCI. The processing circuitry may be further configured to attemptto decode the code blocks. The processing circuitry may be furtherconfigured to, if the TBS is greater than a predetermined threshold:bundle the code blocks into code block groups for hybrid automaticrepeat request (HARQ) acknowledgement; and encode, for transmission, aHARQ bit per code block group. The HARQ bit for a particular code blockgroup may indicate whether a decode failure has occurred for at leastone of the code blocks of the particular code block group. Theprocessing circuitry may be further configured to, if the TBS is lessthan or equal to the threshold: encode, for transmission, a HARQ bitthat indicates whether a decode failure has occurred for at least one ofthe code blocks of the TB.

In Example 2, the subject matter of Example 1, wherein the processingcircuitry may be further configured to, if the TBS is greater than thethreshold: bundle the code blocks into the code block groups based on abundle size indicated in the DCI. The bundle size may indicate a numberof code blocks per code block group or a number of code block groups perTB.

In Example 3, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples1-2, wherein the processing circuitry may be further configured todecode a minimum system information (MSI), a remaining minimum systeminformation (RMSI), a system information block (SIB) or radio resourcecontrol (RRC) signaling. The MSI, RMSI, SIB or RRC signaling may includecandidate bundle sizes. The processing circuitry may be furtherconfigured to, if the TBS is greater than the threshold, select thebundle size from the candidate bundle sizes based on an indicatorincluded in the DCI.

In Example 4, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples1-3, wherein the processing circuitry may be further configured todecode radio resource control (RRC) signaling. The processing circuitrymay be further configured to, if the TBS is greater than the threshold:bundle the code blocks into the code block groups based on a bundle sizeindicated in the RRC signaling. The bundle size may indicate a number ofcode blocks per code block group or a number of code block groups perTB.

In Example 5, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples1-4, wherein the processing circuitry may be further configured to, ifthe TBS is greater than the threshold: bundle the code blocks to includeone or more contiguous code blocks per code block group.

In Example 6, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples1-5, wherein the processing circuitry may be further configured todecode a minimum system information (MSI) that includes thepredetermined threshold, a remaining minimum system information (RMSI)that includes the predetermined threshold or a system information block(SIB) that includes the predetermined threshold.

In Example 7, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples1-6, wherein the processing circuitry may be further configured todecode radio resource control (RRC) signaling that includes thepredetermined threshold.

In Example 8, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples1-7, wherein the processing circuitry may be further configured todecode a minimum system information (MSI), a remaining minimum systeminformation (RMSI), a system information block (SIB) or radio resourcecontrol (RRC) signaling. The MSI, RMSI, SIB or RRC signaling may includea bundle size. The bundle size may indicate a number of code blocks percode block group or a number of code block groups per TB. The processingcircuitry may be further configured to, if the TBS is greater than thethreshold: bundle the code blocks into the code block groups based onthe bundle size.

In Example 9, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples1-8, wherein the threshold is a first threshold. The processingcircuitry may be further configured to, if the TBS is greater than thefirst threshold and less than or equal to a second predeterminedthreshold, bundle the code blocks into the code block groups based on afirst bundle size. The processing circuitry may be further configuredto, if the TBS is greater than the second threshold, bundle the codeblocks into the code block groups based on a second bundle size.

In Example 10, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples1-9, wherein the threshold is a first threshold that is included in aplurality of predetermined thresholds. The processing circuitry may befurther configured to, if the TBS is greater than the first threshold:compare the TBS with the one or more other thresholds of the plurality;and determine a number of the code block groups to be used based on apredetermined mapping between the number of the code block groups andthe thresholds of the plurality.

In Example 11, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples1-10, wherein the UE may be arranged to operate in accordance with a newradio (NR) protocol.

In Example 12, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples1-11, wherein the memory may be configurable to store the TBS.

In Example 13, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples1-12, wherein the apparatus may further include a transceiver to receivethe TB.

In Example 14, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples1-13, wherein the processing circuitry may include a baseband processorto decode the DCI and to determine the TBS.

In Example 15, a computer-readable storage medium may store instructionsfor execution by one or more processors to perform operations forcommunication by a User Equipment (UE). The operations may configure theone or more processors to decode downlink control information (DCI) thatschedules a downlink transmission of a transport block (TB). The TB mayinclude a sequence of code blocks. The operations may further configurethe one or more processors to attempt to decode the sequence of codeblocks. The operations may configure the one or more processors to, if adecode failure occurs for at least one of the code blocks: encode, fortransmission, hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) bits to indicate afirst chronological code block of the sequence for which one of thedecode failures has occurred. The operations may configure the one ormore processors to, if the code blocks of the TB have been decodedsuccessfully: encode, for transmission, the HARQ bits to a particularvalue that is reserved to indicate that the code blocks of the TB havebeen decoded successfully.

In Example 16, the subject matter of Example 15, wherein the operationsmay further configure the one or more processors to determine atransport block size (TBS) based on the DCI. The operations mayconfigure the one or more processors to determine, based on the TBS, anumber of HARQ bits to be encoded.

In Example 17, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples15-16, wherein the operations may further configure the one or moreprocessors to determine a number of code blocks in the TB based on theDCI. The operations may configure the one or more processors todetermine the number of HARQ bits to be encoded based at least partly onthe number of code blocks in the TB.

In Example 18, an apparatus of an Evolved Node-B (eNB) may comprisememory. The apparatus may comprise processing circuitry. The processingcircuitry may be configured to encode, for transmission to a UserEquipment (UE), a transport block (TB) that includes multiple codeblocks. The processing circuitry may be further configured to determine,based on a transport block size (TBS), a bundle size to be used tobundle the code blocks into code block groups for hybrid automaticrepeat request (HARQ) of the TB. The bundle size indicates a number ofcode blocks per code block group. The processing circuitry may befurther configured to encode, for transmission to the UE, downlinkcontrol information (DCI) that schedules a downlink transmission of theTB. The DCI may include the bundle size. The processing circuitry may befurther configured to decode HARQ bits from the UE in accordance with amapping between the HARQ bits and the code block groups. The HARQ bitfor a particular code block group may indicate whether a decode failurehas occurred, at the UE, for at least one of the code blocks of theparticular code block group.

In Example 19, the subject matter of Example 18, wherein the processingcircuitry may be further configured to determine the bundle size basedon a non-decreasing relationship between the bundle size and the TBS.

In Example 20, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples18-19, wherein the processing circuitry may be further configured toencode a minimum system information (MSI), a remaining minimum systeminformation (RMSI), a system information block (SIB) or radio resourcecontrol (RRC) signaling. The MSI, RMSI, SIB or RRC signaling may includecandidate bundle sizes. The processing circuitry may be furtherconfigured to encode the DCI to indicate the bundle size as one of thecandidate bundle sizes.

In Example 21, an apparatus of a User Equipment (UE) may comprise meansfor decoding downlink control information (DCI) that schedules adownlink transmission of a transport block (TB). The TB may include asequence of code blocks. The apparatus may further comprise means forattempting to decode the sequence of code blocks. The apparatus mayfurther comprise means for, if a decode failure occurs for at least oneof the code blocks: encoding, for transmission, hybrid automatic repeatrequest (HARQ) bits to indicate a first chronological code block of thesequence for which one of the decode failures has occurred. Theapparatus may further comprise means for, if the code blocks of the TBhave been decoded successfully: encoding, for transmission, the HARQbits to a particular value that is reserved to indicate that the codeblocks of the TB have been decoded successfully.

In Example 22, the subject matter of Example 21, wherein the apparatusmay further comprise means for determining a transport block size (TBS)based on the DCI. The apparatus may further comprise means fordetermining, based on the TBS, a number of HARQ bits to be encoded.

In Example 23, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples21-22, wherein the apparatus may further comprise means for determininga number of code blocks in the TB based on the DCI. The apparatus mayfurther comprise means for determining the number of HARQ bits to beencoded based at least partly on the number of code blocks in the TB.

The Abstract is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. Section 1.72(b)requiring an abstract that will allow the reader to ascertain the natureand gist of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with theunderstanding that it will not be used to limit or interpret the scopeor meaning of the claims. The following claims are hereby incorporatedinto the detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as aseparate embodiment.

What is claimed is:
 1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage mediumthat stores instructions for execution by at least one processor toperform operations for communication by a base station, the operationsto configure the at least one processor to: encode downlink controlinformation (DCI) that schedules a downlink transmission of a transportblock (TB) having a transport block size (TBS); encode the scheduleddownlink transmission for transmission to the UE, the scheduled downlinktransmission comprising the TB, the TB comprising one or more codeblocks; and decode multiplexed HARQ-ACK information received from theUE, wherein the multiplexed HARQ-ACK information for the scheduleddownlink transmission is based on a plurality of predeterminedthresholds, wherein the plurality of predetermined thresholds includesthree thresholds and determines a number of code block groups (CBGs);wherein: if the TBS is greater than a first predetermined threshold:receive a HARQ bit per code block group, wherein the HARQ bit for aparticular code block group indicates whether a decode failure hasoccurred for at least one of the one or more code blacks of theparticular code block group; and if the TBS is less than or equal to asecond predetermined threshold, receive a HARQ bit that indicateswhether a decode failure has occurred for at least one of the one ormore code blocks of the TB.
 2. The non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium of claim 1, wherein if the TBS is less than or equal tothe second predetermined threshold, the at least one processor isconfigured to receive a HARQ information bit for each CBG of the TB. 3.The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 2, whereinif the TBS is less than or equal to the second predetermined threshold,the HARQ information bit received for each CBG indicates whether adecode failure has occurred for a corresponding CBG.
 4. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein theat least one processor is further configured to cause the base stationto encode radio-resource control (RRC) signalling that indicates anumber of code-block groups (CBGs) per transport block (TB).
 5. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein theRRC signalling further includes an indicator to indicate whetherHARQ-ACK bundling is configured.
 6. The non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is furtherconfigured to cause the base station to: encode a minimum systeminformation (MSI) that includes a first predetermined threshold, aremaining minimum system information (RMSI) that includes the firstpredetermined threshold or a system information block (SIB) thatincludes the first predetermined threshold.
 7. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the at least oneprocessor is further configured to cause the base station to: encoderadio resource control (RRC) signaling that includes the plurality ofpredetermined thresholds.
 8. The non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is furtherconfigured to cause the base station to: encode a minimum systeminformation (MSI), a remaining minimum system information (RMSI), asystem information block (SIB) or radio resource control (RRC)signaling, wherein the MSI, RMSI, SIB or RRC signaling includes a bundlesize, wherein the bundle size indicates a number of code blocks per codeblock group or a number of code block groups per TB.
 9. An apparatus,comprising: at least one processor configured to cause a base station(BS) to: encode downlink control information (DCI) that schedules adownlink transmission of a transport block (TB) having a transport blocksize (TBS); encode the scheduled downlink transmission for transmissionto the UE, the scheduled downlink transmission comprising the TB, the TBcomprising one or more code blocks; and decode multiplexed HARQ-ACKinformation received from the UE, wherein the multiplexed HARQ-ACKinformation for the scheduled downlink transmission is based on aplurality of predetermined thresholds, wherein the plurality ofpredetermined thresholds includes three thresholds and determines anumber of code block groups (CBGs); wherein: if the TBS is greater thana first predetermined threshold: receive a HARQ bit per code blockgroup, wherein the HARQ bit received for a particular code block groupindicates whether a decode failure has occurred for at least one of theone or more code blocks of the particular code block group; and if theTBS is less than or equal to a second predetermined threshold, receive aHARQ bit that indicates whether a decode failure has occurred for atleast one of the one or more code blocks of the transport block.
 10. Theapparatus of claim 9, wherein if the TBS is less than or equal to thepredetermined threshold, the at least one processor is configured toreceive a HARQ information bit for each CBG of the TB.
 11. The apparatusof claim 9, wherein if the TBS is less than or equal to thepredetermined threshold, the HARQ information bit received for each CBGindicates whether a decode failure has occurred for a corresponding CBG.12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor isfurther configured to cause the base station to: encode radio-resourcecontrol (RRC) signalling that indicates a number of code-block groups(CBGs) per transport block (TB).
 13. The apparatus of claim 12, whereinthe RRC signalling further includes an indicator to indicate whetherHARQ-ACK bundling is configured.
 14. The apparatus of claim 9, whereinthe at least one processor is further configured to cause the basestation to: encode a minimum system information (MSI) that includes afirst predetermined threshold, a remaining minimum system information(RMSI) that includes the first predetermined threshold or a systeminformation block (SIB) that includes the first predetermined threshold.15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor isfurther configured to cause the base station to: encode radio resourcecontrol (RRC) signaling that includes the plurality of predeterminedthresholds.
 16. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least oneprocessor is further configured to cause the base station to: encode aminimum system information (MSI), a remaining minimum system information(RMSI), a system information block (SIB) or radio resource control (RRC)signaling, wherein the MSI, RMSI, SIB or RRC signaling includes a bundlesize, wherein the bundle size indicates a number of code blocks per codeblock group or a number of code block groups per TB.
 17. A method foroperating a base station (BS), comprising: by the BS: encoding downlinkcontrol information (DCI) that schedules a downlink transmission of atransport block (TB) having a transport block size (TBS); encoding thescheduled downlink transmission for transmission to a user equipment(UE), the scheduled downlink transmission comprising the TB, the TBcomprising one or more code blocks; decoding multiplexed HARQ-ACKinformation received from the UE, wherein the multiplexed HARQ-ACKinformation for the scheduled downlink transmission is based on aplurality of predetermined thresholds, wherein the plurality ofpredetermined thresholds includes three thresholds and determines anumber of code block groups (CBGs); and if the TBS is greater than afirst predetermined threshold: receiving a HARQ bit per code blockgroup, wherein the HARQ bit for a particular code block group indicateswhether a decode failure has occurred for at least one of the one ormore code blocks of the particular code block group, and if the TBS isless than or equal to a second predetermined threshold, receiving a HARQbit that indicates whether a decode failure has occurred for at leastone of the one or more code blocks of the transport block.
 18. Themethod of claim 17, further comprising: encoding radio-resource control(RRC) signalling that indicates a number of code-block groups (CBGs) pertransport block (TB).
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the RRCsignalling further includes an indicator to indicate whether HARQ-ACKbundling is configured.
 20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:encoding a minimum system information (MSI) that includes a firstpredetermined threshold, a remaining minimum system information (RMSI)that includes the first predetermined threshold or a system informationblock (SIB) that includes the first predetermined threshold.